


The Cracked Golden Heart

by Mr_Cerianes, Smashbeak



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Arguing, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Betrayal, Blood, Blood and Gore, Body Horror, Character Death, Child Death, Dead People, Death, Drama, Drama & Romance, Evil Plans, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Fantasy, Fatherhood, Fire, Flashbacks, Gentle Kissing, Good and Evil, Good versus Evil, Grief/Mourning, Horror, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kissing, Loss of Limbs, Love, Magic, Mother-Son Relationship, Motherhood, Murder, Mutilation, Nightmares, Nudity, Partner Betrayal, Past Rape/Non-con, Protective Parents, Rape, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Religion, Revenge, Romance, Scary, Side Story, Step-parents, Step-siblings, Time Skips, Triplets, Twins, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:28:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mr_Cerianes/pseuds/Mr_Cerianes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smashbeak/pseuds/Smashbeak
Summary: A Fantasy story about a prince and his adventure to stop his evil mother from taking over the world.
Relationships: King/Queen, Prince/Princess
Kudos: 2





	1. The Balcony

**Author's Note:**

> I highly recommend reading my work "The Prince's Lullaby" because it is a prequel to this story.

Prince Adam (18 years old) woke up in the middle of the night; Amelia (the princess and his girlfriend) sleeping soundly next to him. He was completely parched and in need of some water. He slowly got out of bed so as not to wake Amelia.

He stepped into the bathroom and used his hands to cup the water from the sink. He gulped down multiple handfuls of water, almost sounding like a dog who wasn't given water for days. After he was finished, he cupped up the water one more time to wash his face. He turned off the sink, and looked into the mirror. His eyes widen in shock to see his evil mother, Maishra, behind him. He quickly turned around to see nothing there. He pinched and rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh of annoyance, for he knew what would happen next.

He stepped out of the bathroom and saw Amelia still asleep. He looked at the balcony that was on the other side of the room. He quietly walked towards it and stepped outside. After he closed the door, he felt a cold breeze brush against him, then heard a familiar soft voice;

"Good morning, my darling boy."

Adam turned around and saw Maishra floating in the air outside the balcony. Adam glanced at the night sky.

"Yeah, such a good morning that it isn't even dawn yet," he sarcastically said. 

Maishra didn't say anything back but gave him a fake smile. After a moment of awkward silence, Adam looked up at his mother.

"What do you want?" He stubbornly asked.

"I miss you, Kailey misses you too," she replied.

Adam rolled his eyes.

"Please Adam, she loves you so much."

"She doesn't love me, she's obsessed with me, only because you created her to be so. I don't want that; I never did. I wanted someone real with a mind of her own, not just some yes woman," he argued.

Maishra said in a condescending tone, "And I suppose that hot-headed brute of a woman of yours is any better? I promise you that Kailey is ten times more fun to be around, also, if you propose to her, she's guaranteed to say yes."

Adam crossed his arms and said with a bit frustration, "Do you really think I'm going to marry that homunculus you made? Besides, I'm already betrothed to Amelia."

Maishra folded her arms as well, "Oh come on, she's not even half the woman kailey is, she's not even your type at all. I mean, look at her body, she doesn't even have a fraction of sex appeal Kailey has, I made that for you! Don't you like that?"

Adam lashed out at Maishra, "THAT'S ENOUGH! Do you honestly think after what you did, I would join you and your kingdom of Sin? You never loved father, you only used him for his power and he did the right thing to banish you, FOREVER!"

Adam walked to the other side of the balcony and cried into his arms that he crossed on the edge of the railing. His heart was strained and his chest was tight. Tears rolled off his face and fell off the balcony which landed in a bush of white roses.

Maishra lowered herself onto the balcony and placed her hand on Adam's shoulder, "But I loved you, I still do," she assured him.

Adam continued crying, "Not only you betrayed father, you betrayed me as well, you even took my sister away from me, that's not love."

Maishra paused for a moment then said, "Remember when you were little, and I would sing you songs to put you to sleep?"

Adam wiped the tears off his face, "Yes, I do."

With a smile, she said, "I would sing how amazing you are and how one day you will find a beautiful girlfriend who will always stay with you."

Adam had a moment of realization, he quickly stepped away from Maishra, "All this time, you were talking about Kailey, weren't you?"

Maishra floated back away from the balcony with her head lowered in shame, "Yes, I confess I was."

"How long have you planned this?"

"Ever since you were born, what I did was only to make you happy."

Adam scoffed, "We're done here, goodbye."

As adam made his way back inside, Maishra suddenly said, "Wait, Adam!"

Adam turned his head, for he already reached for the door handle, "What?"

Maishra pleaded, "Could you call me Mother, one last time, please?"

Adam turned his head back to the door, "No, Jingfei has been a better mother to me than you ever were."

That statement broke Maishra's heart, but only for a moment. But, that heartbreak was quickly replaced with frustration.

"Fine then," she said with frustration. With the wave of her hand, Maishra had disappeared into a blast of wind. 

Adam stepped inside the room and slowly lied back into his bed. He closed his eyes, and tried to fall asleep. He then heard, "It was your mother again, wasn't it?"

Adam did a slight chuckle, "You heard?"

Amelia rubbed one of her eyes, "I'm a light sleeper, you should know that by now."

"Sorry about that, she's just pestering me again." Adam said.

Amelia cuddled against Adam, "Well it's over now, go back to sleep." Adam didn't say anything but simply closed his eyes and fell back to sleep.


	2. The Training ground

Adam and Amelia were sparing on the training ground. Both wielding wooden longswords and padded armor. Adam tried his all to best Amelia, but her extra lessons and intense training with Harold (the top swordsman in the kingdom) made her into a force to be reckoned with, especially after the incident with Kailey. No matter how much strength and perseverance he had, it always ended up with him on the ground and her giving him a lift up, only to be overpowered again. After being tossed around on the 11th try, he was growing tired.

"I think that's enough for today," Adam said while wiping the sweat off his face.

"No, you clearly haven't been improving your skills in the past 3 days, I need to teach you a lesson," she said as she raised her sword to strike Adam.

Before she could swing at Adam, her sword was caught by Mei. 

"He said that's enough Amelia, are you trying to hurt him?" Mei said while staring daggers at Amelia. 

Li gave Adam her hand and dusted him off, "He might be your betrothed but he is my brother. We should be helping him, not punishing him."

Li and Mei (both 13 years old) are Adam's half sisters and are identical twins. They both resemble more of their mother than Adam's father. The two are so connected that they sometimes talk in unison, playfully given the name, "Limei" from Adam. Because of their scrawny stature, the two were trained in the art of the ninja. So instead of fighting head on, they blend in the shadows and strike with perfect accuracy. 

"Limei, I didn't notice you were here." Amelia said with a bit of shame. 

"That's the point of being shinobi." Limei said.

Amelia looked around and read the room. The atmosphere became thick towards Amelia.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm. I just want to get stronger. I don't want anyone to get hurt again." Amelia said with shame.

She didn't mean to be so hard on Adam. She truly loves him but she's not exactly good at expressing her emotions what so ever, so she's constantly deadpan. 

Amelia took off her armor and began to clean herself up, "I think I need some time for myself." She said with tearful eyes.

She left the room, leaving the three behind.

Adam took off his armor and cleaned himself up. "Please don't hold it against her. She's just trying to protect me," he told to Limei.

"So are we, and you don't see us beating you down over and over again." Mei said as she crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

Li did the same next to Mei, "we don't want to lose another one, not ever again." 

Suddenly a guard came in and bowed, "Prince Adam, the queen wishes to speak with you, follow me please."

"Sure thing." Adam said.

He left the room, following the guard. Meanwhile, inside the training room, Li and Mei began to train amongst themselves. With both daggers in hand they began to spar with such cunning speed and dexterity.

"It seems we've both improved over the last 4 years." Mei said while fighting Li

"I don't know, you seem to be hesitating, what's on your mind?" asked Li while fighting Mei.

"I'm worried about Adam, about ourselves, about what happened back then, we weren't strong enough to do anything, we felt so weak, " said Mei while exchanging blows with Li.

"I admit I've been thinking about that too recently, but what matters now is growing stronger and protecting Adam, for if he dies, we all will soon after."

"But for now, let's see who grew stronger!" exclaimed Limei as they clashed together. 

The two exchange blows towards each other, none of which had connected to either of them, the two grew tired and agreed on a stalemate after a while. They bowed to each other, then left the training ground.


	3. The Incident - part 1

*Flashback 4 years ago* Adam woke up in bed, feeling very excited. Today was the day of the moon festival. Every year, Adam waits patiently for this day because it's the biggest festival of the year, and he absolutely loves seeing the happy faces of his people. He got dressed and left for breakfast. After leaving his room, the triplets were waiting for him.

"Morning, brother!" They said with glee.

Adam with a smile, "Good morning, Limeilu, you're up early."

Lu with excitement, "We couldn't sleep last night through our excitement!"

Mei while yawning and rubbing her eyes, "Mostly Lu's excitement, I'm so tired."

"I was the only one that got any rest, count me lucky I guess," Li said while stretching.

Adam sniffed the air, for it had a scent, "You smell that?"

Limeilu smelled the air as well. 

Limeilu and Adam said in unison, "WAFFLES AND CHICKEN!!!"

The four raced down to the dining room, with Lu ultimately winning. 

"I won, I'm the fastest out of all of you," Lu said with a bit of drool hanging from her lip.

Marlon (the king) was already sitting at the table, "Morning, kids. How did you sleep?"

Adam and Limeilu talked at the same time, making all their answers morph into an inaudible combination of, "Goodbadfinenosleep".

Marlon chuckled, "I admit I couldn't sleep myself, unlike your mother who sleeps like a rock."

"Where is she anyway?" Asked Adam.

Almost on cue, Jingfei (the queen) along with the royal chefs strolled into the dining room, smiling and holding silver trays in hand.

They all set their trays down in front of the kids and Marlon.

One by one, Jinfei greeted the kids with a kiss on the cheek, "Good morning Li, *kiss* Good morning Mei, *kiss* Good morning Lu, *kiss* Good morning Adam, *kiss*.

The kiss she gave Adam was much longer than the ones given to Limeilu combined, luckily no one noticed, besides Adam who blushed afterwards. Jingfei sat next to Marlon and gave him a loving kiss on the lips. Everyone was staring at their food.

"What are you all waiting for? Let's dig in." The king said with enthusiasm. 

The king, Adam and Lu, all ate breakfast like savage Vikings who came home after a victory in battle. Jingfei and Limei on the other hand ate with such mannerism that even the stains on their napkins were properly centered.

During breakfast, Lu asked, "Wanna hear a dream I had last night?"

"Of course, sweety," Jingfei approved.

Lu said while still chewing, "I had a dream where an evil witch came down from the sky and attacked a group of bunnies, eating one in the process. It was so gross, blood and guts were flying everywhere and…" 

"LU!!!" Jingfei interrupted, "We are eating."

Lu said with a chuckle of embarrassment, "Sorry," and continued eating.

After they were all done, a guard came in, "May I present to you, Amelia, princess of the kingdom, Deskia."

She came into the dining room with her finest dress and her shiny silver hair wrapped in a tight bun.

"Amelia, it's so great to see you," Adam said as he came in for a hug and kiss. 

Before he could do so, she raised her hand in front to stop him, "Adam, you got a bit of syrup on your lip."

Adam wiped the syrup off his face with his finger and licked it. Amelia Thought that was cute but her deadpan demeanor made her appear indifferent to it. 

"Oh look, your girlfriend is here." Mockingly said Lu.

"Now Lu, don't be rude, she's part of family too." Jingfei said as she walked towards Amelia, "Greetings miss Amelia, a pleasure to see you again," Jingfei said as she bowed with her Far Eastern charm.

"And I you the same," Amelia said as she bowed with her hand on her chest.

Afterwards, everyone spent the rest of the day at home until nightfall came, for that's when the festival would begin. 


	4. The incident - part 2

Nightfall came. Adam, Amelia, and Limeilu were inside Adam's room in their best attire. Adam in his suit, Amelia in her dress, Limeilu all wearing the same far eastern style dress. The five were just lounging around in Adam's room, until a guard came in to escort them out to the festival. They all were overjoyed.

There was a carriage waiting for them, both the king and queen already inside. The five stepped inside, Amelia and Mei sitting next to the king, and Adam, Li and Lu sitting next to Jingfei. They were all excited to go, even Jingfei herself couldn't contain her excitement. The carriage rode into the kingdom of Luthra. The streets covered in moon inspired decorations and lights. The entire kingdom had a beautiful aura of gold to it.

Later, the carriage arrive in the main area of the festival which was in the far southern end of the kingdom. They exited the carriage, almost tripping themselves over in the process. Once out, they all took a deep breath of amazement. They've been to the moon festival many times, and each time they go, it seemed to get more and more beautiful. 

The king exclaimed, "Well? Go and enjoy yourselves!"

The five left together. There were venders selling trinkets, clothing and even food that were moon inspired, which all were given for free to anyone of royalty. While walking, Adam leaned in to kiss Amelia but she stopped him again, for he had a bit of chocolate on the edge of his cheek. Before he could wipe it off, she leaned in and licked it off his face, which turned into a full lip on lip kiss. The sight of which made Limeilu gag in disgust.

There were fireworks and plays and people singing and dancing to all sorts of music. After a while, Limeilu were moving too quickly for Adam and Amelia to keep up so they were left behind. They didn't mind because it gave them more time alone together. After a while of holding hands while walking, Adam began to notice something. He noticed how beautiful Amelia looked. The light reflecting off of her golden brown skin and silver hair. those beautiful ocean blue eyes made her resemble something that of goddesses would look like in folk tales. 

"You know it's rude to gawk at people with your mouth open like that." She said with a faint smile.

"Sorry, it's just that you look absolutely phenomenal tonight." Adam said with an embarrassed smile.

She did a slight chuckle, "And I you the same."

After a moment of silence between the two, Limeilu suddenly stood between then, breaking their handhold.

Lu pointed above them, "Look the moon is at the right position."

Suddenly, everyone flocked together to see it. The moon was directly on top of everyone. It was a sight to behold.

Suddenly, Adam heard a voice whisper his name. He looked around and saw nobody looking at him, for everyone was fixated on the moon. He heard his name being called again. He looked and saw his real mother, Maishra beckoning him from a distance. He was surprised because he hasn't seen his mother ever since she suddenly left and never came back. He rushed towards her, moving people aside. The more he got closer the more she was moving away. It was until he reached the very edge of the kingdom when he met his mother again, who was dressed in a dark blue robe. They met in a small remote area of the forest where no one would see them. They hugged and kissed. 

"My darling boy, it's so good to see you again," she said as she kissed him many times.

"Mom, where have you been? Why did you leave us so suddenly? I thought something terrible had happened to you," Adam said with tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry my dear, I will never do it again. I was on a journey, a journey to find your one true love."

Adam paused for a moment, ".....my what?" He asked, confused. 

Suddenly, a girl popped from behind Maishra and greeted Adam with a very expressive smile, "Hi! I'm Kailey. I'm so happy to finally meet you, darling," she said while reaching her hand out to Adam for a handshake.

Maishra said with a wide smile, "Isn't this great? You can come with us and we can finally be a happy family again."

Adam looked up and down at Kailey. " _Woah, she's really pretty,"_ he thought to himself.

Her cream colored skin and golden yellow hair and emerald colored eyes definitely made her quite the sight to behold. She even had a figure most women would kill each other for. 

"Don't be shy, greet her back." Maishra said with anticipation.

With a nervous smile, he greeted Kailey with a handshake, "It's nice to meet you t..."

He was then cut off by Kailey who pulled him in for a deep kiss. Their lips touched and her tongue was intensely swirling deep within the back of his throat. Then, Adam quickly pulled away from her.

"I'm sorry, I can't do this." He said with guilt for he never kissed anyone else besides Amelia.

Maishra and Kailey were both confused.

"What do you mean?" asked Maishra.

"Am I not pretty enough?" asked Kailey. 

Adam stuttered, "N-no, not that."

Adam looked at Maishra, "Mom, a lot has changed ever since you left, father has a new wife and children and I even found a girlfriend already, I can't just leave them now."

Maishra pleaded, "Please Adam, I've worked so hard to bring her all the way to you, don't let my efforts go to waste, please give her a chance." 

Adam refused, "Aren't I supposed to be the one to find my true love? Never in story books you see the princess being delivered to the prince. I'm sorry, but I'm not leaving my family behind." He noticed what he said and covered his mouth.

The three fell silent.

Adam stuttered heavily, "I-I didn't m-m-mean it like that, I-I-I w-was just ~" He was then cut off by Kailey again.

With a fit of anger, she said, "No, NO! I didn't waste my entire childhood in a laboratory just to get rejected by the one I was created for!" 

Adam looked at Maishra, "Mom, what does she mean by that?" 

Maishra took a step back, "You said you won't leave your family behind, huh? Well, you won't have to now."

Maishra and Kailey both began to float in the air, then they flew up and into the festival. 

"NO!" Adam said from the lurking fear. 

Meanwhile, everyone was at the center of the festival, spectating the moon above.

The king and queen walked towards Amelia and Limeilu and asked with concern, "Where's Adam?"

They looked around for a moment, until there was suddenly screaming from the crowd. A huge fireball came rushing down from the sky and struck the ground, causing an explosion. Blood and body parts of many citizens were scattered across. Everyone screamed and ran away. Maishra and Kailey hurled fire and destruction upon the festival. Setting fire to everything on site.

Adam came rushing In and yelled, "STOP, PLEASE!!!"

The royal family saw Adam and rushed towards him, trying to protect him. Maishra and Kailey saw them and dropped to the surface. 

"Oh, so this is your family now." Mockingly said Maishra. 

Kailey stared at Amelia with malicious intent, "YOU! You are the one who took him from me!" She ran towards Amelia and picked her up by the throat.

Limeilu tried to stop Kailey but she was too strong. She knocked all three of them to a nearby booth, causing them to fall unconscious. The king and queen tried to stop Kailey but Maishra suddenly rushed towards them and sucker punched them in the stomach, sending them flying towards a nearby wall. They were still conscious but were unable to move or talk. Maishra overpowered Adam and had him pinned to the ground and couldn't move.

"May we start with the man-stealer?" Asked Kailey.

Maishra responded, "I don't see why not."

Kailey pulled out a knife from her dress.

"NO, NOOOO!!!!" screamed Adam. 

Kailey cocked her hand back and jabbed the knife. Before it could reach Amelia, Lu jumped in front of kailey, knocking Amelia out from her grasp, and was penetrated with the knife, deep. Kailey's arm went right through Lu's fragile body, starting from her abdomen and out from her back. Lu was coughing blood from her mouth, and couldn't breathe. Her vision became dark and blurry. she could barely lift her head. She turned her head facing Adam. She reached out her hand towards him. With her dying breath she uttered "....brother." then fell limp. 

Adam screamed, "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!"

Suddenly a ball of light came crashing down upon Maishra and Kailey. They dodged out of the way and saw who it was. Wendell, the kingdom's highest clergyman, along with hundreds of the kingdom's knights. 

"Begone, evil creature, before you meet your end right here!" Wendell said with a booming voice. 

Maishra looked around and saw she was outnumbered and outmatched. She smugly said, "Fine, we were just leaving."

Kailey said disappointingly, "Aww come one, I didn't get to~"

"We were JUST leaving." Maishra said while cutting off Kailey. 

The two flew up in the air, and with a wave of Maishra's hand, the two suddenly disappeared into a blast of wind.

Adam hugged Lu's broken body and cried, "Lu, LU!!!"

*Few days later* A private funeral for Lu was taking place. Wendell was the one who gave mass.

"She was a young, free spirited girl. Full of life, energy and love. Adored by all those who encountered her. She loved her mother, father, sisters and especially her only brother. She will forever be missed by everyone she loved."

Mass ended and Lu's casket finally lowered into the earth, never to be seen again. Jingfei took it the hardest, praying in her native tongue and crying with as much force to break the biggest of mountains. Limei were scarred from the realization that if they were to die, their corpses would look exactly like Lu's. Adam, crying and praying for Lu. Out of everyone in the family, she loved him the most and the two had many fond moments and bonded many times together. Amelia, with a black veil over her face, was silently sobbing, hugging Adam's arm in the process. Many, many thoughts were running through her mind. 

After the funeral was over. Marlon and Wendell were talking.

"I'm so sorry," Wendell said, "I should've came sooner".

Adam placed his hand on Wendell's shoulder, "It's not your fault, it would've ended much worse hadn't you came in time."

"Thanks, I hope your family finds peace soon," said Wendell.

"I hope so too," said Marlon as he looked at his family who were inside the carriage, still grieving. *End of flashback*


	5. Jingfei's room

Jingfei was in the master bedroom, praying to a small mural of Lu. The candle gave off a small crackle as it lit Lu's face. Long streaks of tears were running down her face, but her expression stayed calm. The bedroom door opened and footsteps entered the room, then the door closed. She heard a familiar voice calling out to her. 

"Mother, you summoned me, is there something wrong?"

She stood up as she wiped off her tears and turned to face Adam but didn't open her eyes. Then without any signal, she hugged him tightly, surprising him in the process.

"It makes me so happy, hearing you call me that," Jingfei said with a melancholic smile.

Adam hugged her back but not as tightly as she did, "You've been more a mother to me than Maishra ever was," he said with a comforting tone.

Hearing him say that brought overwhelming joy to her heart. "I may not be your real mother, but at least I can love you like one," she said. 

She leaned back to give a proper look at his youthful face. A warm smile was upon him, she rubbed across his cheek with her thumb. She gave a long kiss to his lips, making him blush in the process.

"You're a lot better than before, mother. I'm glad you found some peace from all this," he said trying to comfort her.

Jingfei sat on the edge of her bed, clasping her hands together, "While I was praying, I had a vision. I saw Maishra taking over the world, with you alongside her".

Adam didn't know what to say, for the mere thought of joining Maishra was mortifying. "I simply would never, I am forever by your side, along with father." 

"I hope so." She said, not doubting him but because fate itself is very unpredictable.

"Is that everything?" Adam asked. 

"One last thing. I've personally noticed you struggling with a sword for a long time now, how about you start training with Limei for a while," She proposed.

"As you wish, mother," Adam said as he bowed to her, then left the room. 

As Adam was walking to his room, he turned a corner and almost bumped into Amelia. 

"Oh, sorry, Amelia," He said cautiously.

Seeing Adam caught her off guard.

"It's fine…..I was just on my way to see Jingfei," She said in that monotone voice she always has.

Adam nodded his head and continued walking. Amelia turned to say something to Adam but didn't have the strength to say anything. Adam entered his room to find a note attached to a small box. It read "I'm sorry." inside; and the box was filled with chocolate pieces. 

Amelia was standing at the entrance at Jingfei's room. She knocked.

"Enter," said Jingfei. 

Amelia entered the room to find Jingfei sitting in front of a mirror, combing her hair which didn't need any brushing but she did so just because she enjoyed it. 

"Is there something you want, Amelia?" Jingfei asked with a cold tone.

Amelia noticed the lit mural of Lu and felt a bit of shame. She nervously crossed her arms and lowered her head, "I know the two of us haven't gotten along for the past few years, but I need your help."

Jingfei didn't look at Amelia but responded, "You want to apologize to Adam, don't you."

"How did you know?" Asked Amelia.

"So, it took you this long to finally come to your senses, what a slow girl you are."

"....I'm sorry?" Amelia said confused.

"I should've guessed a stubborn girl like yourself would've taken this long to realize the pain you put him through," said Jingfei in a condescending tone. 

Amelia began to defend himself, "Hey, I've been helping him all this time to become stronger, I'm just doing my best to help."

Jingfei stopped brushing, still looking away at Amelia, "Help? Help with what exactly? Break his spirit down to a million pieces?"

"I know I've been rough on him, but I still love him. I'm just trying to protect him and your family." Amelia said as her chest began to tightened.

"Don't bring my family into this". Jingfei responded with annoyance. 

"Why are you like this towards me? I came here to make amends with you," Amelia said while struggling to keep her composure. 

Jingfei stood up and turned to face Amelia, then snapped at her, "Why am I like this towards you? For the past few years you have been nothing but hard on Adam, constantly pushing him over and over again to become strong. You blame yourself for my daughter's death so instead of suffering on your own, you drag him along to suffer with you. You've beaten him, scolded him, called him lazy and reckless and many other things that are clearly aimed towards yourself, all to protect your own ego."

"How do you know these things? You weren't there," Amelia said with tears filling her eyes.

"My daughter's tell me everything that goes on around here!" Exclaimed Jingfei.

"I've been hoping he'd leave you one day but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I don't know what he sees in you anymore. He might be your betrothed but he is MY son and I love him more than you EVER will!" Jingfei said sternly as she sat back down on her chair. She turned to face the mirror, "I won't let you hurt him any longer. That is why I'm having him train with Leimei from now on."

Amelia cried out quickly, "You can't do that!"

Jingfei shouted back just as quick. "I just did!" 

She returned to brushing her hair while hearing Amelia crying behind her.

"I don't want your amends, I want you out of my room, get someone else to help you," Jingfei said returning to that cold tone again. 

Amelia left the room while crying, "I'm sorry!"

Outside the bedroom window was Limei, eavesdropping on everything that happened while balancing themselves on the edge of the wall. 

"Mother really gave her quite the talking to, huh," said Mei with a snicker.

"Yeah, but at least brother will be spending time with us from now on," Li said with a bit of excitement in her voice.

The two then climbed up the wall and away from the window. 


	6. Adam's murder

Next day, Adam woke up in bed. Amelia, clinged onto his arm. He got up and dressed for the day. As he was leaving the room, he heard Amelia calling out to him, "Adam."

He turned around to see Amelia rubbing her eyes. The two stared at each other for a moment. She wanted to apologize about the other day but couldn't muster the strength to do it.

"Good luck on your training," she said hesitantly. 

Adam smiled, "You too."

After he left the room, Amelia planted her face on her pillow and gave a frustrated groan. Later, Adam was standing in front of the door to Chu's training room. He knocked on the door. 

"Enter." He heard.

He entered, and saw Limei kneeling in front of Chu.

Li turned her head facing Adam, "Brother!" She said with such glee. She leaped up and ran towards Adam, giving him a big hug.

"LI!" Chu said Sternly.

Li quickly returned to where she was previously, "Sorry mistress," she apologized. 

"Prince Adam, kneel next to Mei, please," Chu said, gesturing her hand next to Mei.

Adam kneeled next to Mei. She nudged her elbow onto his while giving him a friendly wink and nod.

"Welcome to your first day of training with me, master Adam." Chu greeted. She paused for a moment while scanning Adam up and down. "Today, instead of learning something new, how about Li and Mei teach our new pupil what we have learned."

Limei were both excited, mostly Li with her overall cheery personality.

Adam and Li were up first. The two were facing each other in the middle of the room.

"I promise I won't hurt you, brother," she said in a lovely tone. 

"Same here," said Adam. 

He threw the first punch. Li quickly dodged out of the way. Adam continued throwing punches but Li would dodge every one of them, tiring him out. Li quickly hopped onto his shoulders and pushed him onto the ground, pinning him down. 

"I'm so sorry, did that hurt?" She apologized. She let go of him.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

"You lacked balance and you left yourself open more times than I could count," Chu said assertively.

Then, it was Adam against Mei.

"Feel free to give it your all, brother. I can take a few punches," bravely said Mei.

Adam didn't reply but instead threw the first punch. Mei quickly grabbed his arm and threw it out of the way, making Adam lose his balance. She then swept her leg across his legs, causing him to fall to the ground. 

"Sorry, brother. But that didn't mean I'd let you get a hit on me," she said with a slight smug smile.

"You rely too much on brute force," Chu said with harsh judgment.

Next up was Adam and Chu herself. Limei watched while sitting on the other side of the room.

"Well, go ahead," asserted Chu.

Adam lunged forward and punched Chu, but she dodged out of the way with barely a slight movement. She pushed Adam away, making him frustrated. He kept throwing punches but she kept dodging with little effort. He kicked her but she grabbed it, sweeping his other leg, causing him to fall on the floor. She then placed her foot down firmly on his chest while pointing a dagger to his throat. This angered Li, she wanted to intervene but Mei stopped her before she could do anything. A brief moment of silence passed through them.

"Sloppy," Chu said. She placed her dagger back into her robe. "I think I've seen enough, class is dismissed." 

As the three were about to leave, Chu commanded, "Adam, a moment with you, please."

Mei left the room with Li following soon after giving Adam another hug. Adam and Chu were now alone. "Prince Adam, it is clear to me that you don't seem to be the 'dexterous' type," Chu said in a calm tone.

Adam gave a disappointed sigh, "I know, I've been searching for a fighting style for 4 years now and I can't seem to find the right one, I don't know what to do."

Chu contemplated for a moment, "So what if you can't fight, you're still the prince of Luthra. You can do anything you want."

"But what if I ever get into trouble?" He asked.

"You won't get into trouble if you appear strong to everyone, " She said with a smile.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"Would you like to do the kingdom a service? To make the people love you even more? More so that no one would ever come to harm you?" She asked while placing both hands on his shoulders.

"I'll do anything to make the people happy," said Adam.

Later during the day, Adam was in a local market alone, or so he thought. Nearby was Limei watching his every move.

"What's he doing?" Li asked. 

"No idea, he's just walking around, I assume searching for something," Mei responded. 

There were vendors all around, many places for Limei to hide. Adam kept walking, until he spotted a brown woman with red eyes and dressed in a dark red attire. She had braided brunette hair and a mole in the left side of her cheek. He casually walked behind her.

"Hello," he greeted.

The woman turned around and was surprised, "Prince Adam, I wasn't expecting to see you here, let alone you greeting me. She placed her hand on her cheek as she blushed by his handsome face.

"Are you by any chance, Hannah Natali?" 

"Why yes I am, would you like to take a walk with me?" She proposed.

Adam didn't say anything but suddenly sliced her throat with a concealed dagger. Her blood spewed like a fountain, right in front of the vendor. The blood landed onto him and his products. Everyone around screamed and ran away. Natali fell to the ground, gasping for air. Adam stomped on her head until she stopped moving.

"The prince has gone mad!" Many yelled. 

Limei ran straight to Adam, grabbing his arms."What the hell are you doing!?" The two shouted. 

The three ran away together and hopped on the horse Adam took to get there. Luckily they left before any guards came.

Later inside the king's office, Marlon was scolding Adam.

"You killed someone in broad daylight!?" he yelled at Adam.

Adam sat down and folded his arms without saying anything.

"Because of what you did, the people now grow fearful of you, do you want that on your conscience? They no longer trust their own prince!" Marlon continued. 

Adam continued to stay silent but the thought of his own people distrusting him made him feel a tremendous amount of shame. 

"Why did you do it? At least tell me that," Marlon demanded. 

Finally, Adam replied, "Chu told me to do it, I had to."

"Chu? Limei's sensei? Why did she tell you to do it?" 

"Why not ask her yourself?"

Marlon paused for a moment, then he told Adam, "You're grounded until I say otherwise, now go to your room."

Adam stood up, "Yes, father." He exited the room and headed straight to his bedroom. 

Later, Chu was meditating in her training room. The door opened and King Marlon stepped inside, furious, "Do you have any idea what you have done!?" He bellowed.

Chu didn't reply. 

Marlon continued, "Because of you, the kingdom now hates Adam and thinks he's a murderer!"

"Is she dead?" Chu asked.

"From what I'm told, yes, she is."

Chu was delighted from what she heard, "Oh, thank the gods, I am finally at peace."

Marlon was confused by what she said but didn't care for he was still furious about what she made Adam do.

"What you did brought dishonor to my family, and for that you will pay with your life, I'm going to have you executed by tomorrow," he promised. Before Marlon left the room he heard Chu shout.

"SHE RAPED MY BROTHER!"

The statement froze Marlon in place for a moment. He turned around to see Chu, bowed on her hands and knees to him.

"What did you say?" He requested. He clearly heard what she said the first time, but the statement was so shocking he couldn't believe what he heard. 

"Please my king, I beg you to listen to my story." She pleaded. 

Marlon walked back to Chu and kneeled in front of her, "Go on," he said with a now softened voice.

Chu took a deep breath and explained.


	7. Chu's explanation

*flashback with Chu narrating* "My brother and I lived in an orphanage for all of our childhood. Our caretakers only gave us the necessities for living, food and water and a place to sleep. They never had time to play or even talk to any of the children there. All the kids kept to themselves so we never became friends with any of them. When it came to family, my brother and I were all we had, and we loved and cared for each other as one. We were basically inseparable.

When we both reached adulthood, we left the orphanage, and lived together in a small house on the outskirts of the kingdom. We both got separate jobs just to make ends meet. We were happy and overall lived comfortably together for a few years. Then, it all changed when it happened. My brother would normally come home a little later than me because of his job in construction, but that night, he was late, very late. I began to worry. I couldn't sleep. I stayed up for many hours that night. Around 3, I heard his voice calling out to me. I ran outside and found him, limping. I carried him inside. He was crying and badly injured. There were bruises all around his body. I asked what happened but he didn't want to talk.

After a few days, I came to the dining room one morning to find my brother sitting at the table all alone. I poured ourselves some coffee and we talked. I asked what had happened and he explained everything.

He told me after he left work, he went to the night market to buy some food. Afterwards, he went straight home. On his way, he was ambushed and kidnapped. He was knocked out and the next thing he knew, he was in some stranger's room. 

The door opened and a woman entered. She had brown skin, red eyes, and braided brunette hair and had a mole on the left side of her cheek. She had him tied to each end of the bed. He was then force fed something to get him hard and then she had her way with him. He pleaded with her to stop but she didn't care. While she was raping him, she lashed and assaulted him, beating him over and over again. He was choked, slapped, punched and pulled all over. My brother told me she had pure evil in her eyes and she enjoyed every moment of it.

After she was finished, she simply threw him out the house. He found a group of guards nearby and he tried to explain everything that had happened. The guards laughed and told him he was lucky. They told him to 'walk it off' and 'go home'. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't know what else to do but simply limp all the way home. That's everything he told me, I was absolutely mortified. 

After that, my brother fell into depression and I had to take care of him every day since. He wouldn't leave the house for any reason at all. He even developed an intense fear of women when I invited a female therapist to come and talk to him. I have taken self-defense classes since then. I was taught everything from fist fights to the way of the shinobi. I did it so I could protect him in case anything happens to him. After a few years, I graduated at the top of my class. I knew everything there was. 

One morning on my way to work, I heard someone crying for help. I ran over and witnessed a group of 5 men trying to have their way with a young girl in an alleyway. Without hesitation, I killed them all. One by one, I used my dagger to stab them all.

After I was finished, the group of guards came and found me covered in blood. They grabbed me and took me to Jingfei who they were traveling with. They told her I killed a group of men and demanded I'd be executed on the spot. While Jingfei was deciding my fate, the girl came up to her and told her that I saved her from being raped. Jingfei walked to the alleyway and saw the dead bodies of the would-be rapists.

Jingfei asked, 'You did this all by yourself?'

I answered yes. Jingfei then offered me a position in the castle and asked if I could be the teacher of new recruits. I agreed on the condition that my brother can come along. She agreed and the rest is history." *end of flashback*

Marlon was completely speechless. He combed his hair with his fingers and said, "That's quite the story, how did you find out her name?"

"I spent many years of my free time searching through the kingdom to find her, one day I did so and I simply made contact with her and became her 'friend'. After I found out her name I abandoned her. Now I just needed to find a way to get rid of her and bring justice to my brother. Yesterday Jingfei told me Adam was to be trained under me. This was my only chance and I took it."

She then bowed her head all the way to the ground towards Marlon, "My king, I beg of you, please don't execute me. At least not until I tell my brother."

Marlon stood up and walked to the door. Before he left he said, "You're pardoned, for now." Then exited the room.

Meanwhile, Adam was inside his room, telling everything to Amelia and Limei, "And that's everything," he said.

"Wow, so that's why she's so hard on us," Limei realized.

"I don't know about you, Adam, but It seems like she used you for her own gain, don't you feel used?" Asked Amelia as she turned her head in a bit of agitation.

He replied, "No, I did it out of my own free will, and I will accept the consequences of my actions. If the people will hate me for it, then so be it."

There was silence between all of them. 

"I think I want to be left alone now," Adam demanded. 

Limei left the room with Amelia following soon after kissing Adam on the lips and playfully shaking his shoulder. After they left, Adam began to take a nap and waited for whatever happened next.

Nightfall came, Chu entered her room, "It's me," she said. 

Her brother, Xiu, was laying on their bed to his side, facing away his sister. Xiu grew up as a traditionalist alongside his sister. He always dreamed that one day he'd settle down with a nice woman and even have children with. His trauma had made him lose all hope in his wishes, for he knew a woman of quality would never marry a man who's been tainted. 

Chu walked up to him and placed her hand on his head. She gave him a small shake, "I have amazing news, Xiu. I hope you're listening."

He didn't reply but she could feel his anticipation. 

"She's dead," she whispered in his ear.

for a moment, there was silence. Then, Xiu suddenly hugged Chu and began to cry intensely.

"Thank you, thank you!" he cried. 

She hugged him back and began to cry as well, "She won't hurt you or anyone else ever again."


	8. Kailey's nightmare

*Flashback a few months after Lu's funeral*

Not so far south from Luthra, lied the kingdom of Sin. on the roof of the grand castle, Maishra and Kailey were looking over the kingdom. Resurrected bodies of those once dead walked around the ground like some hellscape. The painful groans and violence between damned souls brought such joy to the two of them. The sky had a permanent red dusk to it.

Maishra took a deep breath, "Look at that, Kailey, our very own kingdom to rule over, don't you just love the view." She didn't hear a reply. She turned to Kailey who was drifting to sleep. Maishra nudged her, "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Kailey woke up completely exhausted, "Sorry, mistress. I haven't been able to sleep since the festival, I've been getting lots of nightmares." She had large bags under her eyes and the whites of her eyes were bloodshot. She could barely stay awake. 

Maishra placed her hand on Kailey's shoulder, "Well, if it gets too unbearable just come to me. You can't marry my son if you're off to the dreamlands."

"Thank you, mistress."

"Please, you're going to marry my son soon, call me mother."

Kailey gave a faint smile, "Thank you, mother."

Nightfall came, Kailey was laying in her bed. She gave a deep sigh while closing her eyes. The room went silent for a while. Then slowly, the entire room was engulfed in a dark hue of red. A noise was heard around the room which woke her up. She strangely wasn't feeling tired anymore, but now an intense feeling of dread crawled all around her body. The noise was coming from the other side of the bedroom door; it sounded like breathing, but of what kind she didn't know. It was deep, heavy, and slow. The glow was coming from under the door, growing more intense, so was the breathing. She pressed her ear against the door. When she did, the breathing stopped. She then heard a clear whisper from the other side.

"Open the door." She heard.

She hesitated for a moment, but her curiosity was burning inside her above anything else. She slowly twisted the doorknob. The red hue glow quickly faded away, returning the room back to the way it was, the moonlight that shined through her window was her only source of light. She opened the door, revealing nothing but total darkness. Her body began to move on it's own. She struggled to take control but couldn't. Once she was out the door, it shut behind her on its own.

She could control her body again. She tried to open the door but it was locked. The door faded away into nothing, trapping Kailey in a void of darkness. She could in fact fight but the intense feeling of fear that was surging through her body prevented her so. She can't do magic unless given to it by Maishra. She was completely powerless in this situation. 

She began to walk forward, hoping to find something that'll help her out of this strange place. All she could hear was her own shallow breathing and footsteps. She couldn't tell what she was walking on but it felt cold yet smooth.

She heard something drop behind her. She turned around to find a doll lying on the ground. She picked it up and noticed it was a doll of herself. A sudden feeling of being watched was coursing through her body. She quickly turned back around to see a girl in a robe, standing in front of her. Kailey stepped back from fright.

"Who are you, why am I here?" She demanded.

The girl didn't say anything. 

Kailey looked around, "Is this another nightmare?" 

The girl still didn't reply but instead she lowered her hood, revealing her face. 

Kailey took one look and asked, "Am I supposed to know you or something?"

The girl replied softly, "You really don't remember me, do you?"

Kailey shook her head. She took a closer look at the girl. She had short-straight, black hair. Her eyes were squinted. She didn't have any other features besides an average looking girl from the far east. "Nope, can't say I do," she said.

"Of course you wouldn't, you've killed so many people, how could you ever remember all of them? Especially since you don't give even a second thought," the girl continued with a deeper tone. "Perhaps this will jog your memory." she undressed her robe, revealing her naked body. 

Realization struck Kailey, for she now remembers who the girl was. She glared at the large, bloody hole that was through the girl's stomach, "You, you're Lu, one of Adam's sisters."

"Indeed I am." She replied.

Suddenly a large circle of fire surrounded the two of them, revealing many more people inside the flames.

"What's going on?" Kailey asked with confusion and fear. She looked around to see people standing before her, naked, bloodied, and bruised. LImbs were missing, their bodies were broken. Some had their entire heads completely missing. There were even children with missing eyes and parts of their skulls chipped off with their brains exposed.

When she turned her attention back to Lu, she saw that Lu was now morphed into a large, grotesque creature, barely resembling her old self. Her body was long and twisted. Her arms were large and jagged. Her hair was the same but her head was lopsided and her eyes were huge and no longer blinked. 

With a low, growling and booming voice, Lu said, "You. You've killed so many. so many that you can no longer be saved by God. You have taken everything we had. Our lives, our loved ones, even our souls that you now enslave. Now it's our turn. I'll see you. I'll see you in hell where you belong."

Suddenly, the flames vanished, along with everyone inside, including Lu. Kailey was the only one left. She felt the doll in her hand move on it's own. Looked and saw the it's limbs beginning to twist violently. causing hers to twist themselves. She screamed in pain and dropped the doll. The doll's torso twisted all the way around, causing hers to do the same. The agonizing pain was too much to bear. The doll's limbs began to fall off one by one, causing hers to do the same. then the doll's entire body began to burst into flames, causing her to do so as well. As she was burning, she saw Lu in her normal form. She was towering over her.

"Don't fight it, and don't you dare keep the devil waiting." Lu said with a monotone voice.

Kailey screamed until she was nothing but a pile of ash.


	9. The Resurrection

Kailey woke up in cold sweat, panting frantically; she winced as she could still feel the pain of the flames on her skin. She stayed up the rest of the night till dawn came.

Later, Maishra was sitting in her throne room, forcing the resurrected bodies to reenact Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (with actual violence).

Kailey walked up to Maishra in a zombified fashion. She reached out her arm towards Maishra, "M-mother, I need y-your help~."

She was cut off by Maishra, "Hold that thought, darling. My favorite scene is showing." 

The two watched as the actress who plays Juliet is being forced to kill herself with Romeo's dagger. 

"Ah, such sweet sorrow," Maishra sighed with satisfaction. She turned towards Kailey. With one quick glance she stood up in surprise, "By god, what happened to you!"

Kailey didn't reply but simply walked towards Maishra, hugging her as they both slid to the ground. Kailey cried while Maishra cradled her in her arms.

A bit afterwards, Maishra was sitting beside Kailey, who was lying in bed.

"And that's everything," Kailey explained what happened last night.

Maishra comforted Kailey by stroking her hair, "My poor thing."

"Please, mother. I can't take anymore of this. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind."

Maishra pondered for a moment, then said, "I think I have an idea," She kissed Kailey's cheek, "I'll be right back," Maishra said as she left the room. 

She closed the door, revealing Lu who was hiding on the other side. Kailey's eyes widened with shock. Lu was standing motionless, staring at Kailey with her misshapen eyes, impossibly wide smile with red-stained, jagged teeth. 

Kailey was paralyzed with fear. Lu spoke but her mouth didn't move, almost as if her voice was being sent directly to Kailey's mind. 

"You will never be rid of me, Kailey. Never," Lu said with a deep echoed voice. 

Every time Kailey blinked, Lu would noticeably get closer and closer. Eventually, Lu ended up right beside Kailey. She could feel Lu's breath brush against her skin. Kailey blinked, then suddenly Lu was strangling her throat. Kailey tried to push Lu away but to no avail. She tried desperately to gasp for air but none came. Her mind began to feel numb, then closed her eyes.

Maishra came back to find Kailey strangling herself, she dropped what she was holding and rushed to Kailey's aid. 

"What the hell are you doing?!" She screamed and she removed Kailey's hands from her throat. 

Kailey gasped for air, "It was Lu, she made me do it." She continued breathing deep. 

She embraced Maishra with relief, tears ran down her face.

"This seems a lot more serious than I thought," said Maishra. She walked back to the doorway and picked up what she dropped.

"Your spell book?" Asked Kailey.

"That's right, if I can resurrect the dead, maybe I can do the same for Lu."

Later, Maishra and Kailey were in a dark room, lit only by candles. In the center of the room was a Pentagram, drawn from Kailey's own blood. 

"Go ahead and lay in the center of the star," Maishra ordered. 

Kailey lied in the center. Feeling her own blood made her feel cold and discomforted, but she had to endure it.

Maishra opened the book and flipped through the pages until she reached the exact page she needed. She began to recite an foreign incantation. During this, the candles began to glow red and bright; engulfing the entire room in a bright crimson. 

Kailey began to float high off the floor. Her body began to convulse violently. Her limbs twisted and turned in unnatural positions. Her mouth opened wide. Slowly, the restless soul of Lu emerged from Kailey's Mouth. Immediately afterwards, Kailey dropped to the floor, knocking herself unconscious. 

Maishra pulled an empty soul phylactery out from her robe. She recited another incantation. Then, Lu's soul was sucked into it.

"Now I got you, you bastard," whispered Maishra. "Now for the next part."

Kailey woke up several hours later in a daze. She found herself exactly where she was before. She looked up to find Lu, standing over her. Kailey jumped back onto feet in surprise. 

"Easy, Kailey. Everything is fine now," Maishra said.

Kailey calmed down a moment after seeing Lu not making any advances towards her.

"Mother, what's going on here?" Asked Kailey. 

"As you can see, Lu is right here in the flesh, well….as much as there is. I took her body from her coffin and simply infused her soul with her body; and I mind controlled her so not only you get to sleep peacefully but I get a new servant, win win." Maishra explained. 

Kailey needed a moment to process that. "So everything is fine now?" She asked. 

"How about a demonstration? Lu, bring me," Maishra pondered, "Five, no, six severed baby heads. "

Lu turned to Maishra, "Yes, mistress." She left the room.

Later that evening, Maishra and Kailey were standing on top of the roof, watching as the resurrected bodies performed reenactments of historical crusades (including real violence). 

"Simply amazing, you can feel the tension between two sides of nations who have nothing but intense bloodlust for each other, it's simply euphoric." Maishra said with a bit of drool hanging from her mouth. 

"Yes, mother. It's quite the sight to see," Kailey said with a smile.

"You look a lot better, did you take a nap?"

"Yes, mother. I feel so much better."

Maishra wrapped her arm around Kailey's shoulder, "That's good to hear, now you're ready for my son."

The two share a tender moment of silence together. Suddenly, Lu appeared from behind them, holding a bloody sack. 

"Mistress, I've accomplished my goal. I found the nearest kingdom and severed six heads of infants." She dropped the sack, making the heads roll out.

Maishra and Kailey looked at them.

"Good, very good. You're dismissed for now. Do whatever you want around the kingdom, just leave Kailey alone." Maishra ordered. 

"Yes, mistress," replied Lu. She took a baby head and admired it while sitting down. 

"Well…..while she's doing that, I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight Kailey," Maishra said while kissing Kailey on her forehead. "Goodnight, mother," Kailey said.

When Maishra was out of sight, Lu began to stare at Kailey. 

"What do you want?" Kailey asked in annoyance. 

"I told you, you'll never be rid of me, Kailey." She crushed the baby head with her hand with ease, "Never," Lu said with that wide crooked smile.

Kailey didn't say anything but simply walked away. 


End file.
